A view from behind my hotel, Holiday Inn Express, which was about 7 minutes (walking) from the Chiquita Building.

Chiquita vessel docked in Antwerp

Steen - 'Steen' is the Dutch word for 'stone'.  It used to be a prison and now houses The National Navigation Museum.

On the way to Antwerp, we had a small layover in Munich, Germany from Naples, Italy.  Once in Munich, we had to change planes to then head on to Brussels.  On the shuttle bus from one plane to the other, Michael started talking to a guy who he found out went to school at Elder High school (same as Michael) and grew up on the West Side.  This guy was traveling with a tour group and they were going to be headed home.  He also works for the Notre Dame football team and gave Michael his business card and told him to give him a call if he ever wanted tickets – crazy!

From the Chiquita office, I had gone out several times with different groups of people.  Two of these people - Ina and Blanca - I met on 2 separate occasions.  I also met a guy while I was in Antwerp eating at a restaurant - Livio.  He was the waiter who spoke very good English, had been to the San Francisco so we ended up talking for a while.  When he found out that I work for Chiquita, I come to find that he knows both Blanca and Ina - they all took English class together.  How do I meet 3 totally different people in such a short time frame that all know each other?!?!?

Cathedral

...Same Cathedral

...again the Cathedral

Estro Armonico's - the sign hangs on the Right

with the entrance on the ground to the Left

Antwerp counts about 60 catholic churches and many monasteries and convents.  The main church is the cathedral; its name is Our Lady's ("Onze-Lieve-Vrouw"). It's a very large gothic church, built between 1350 and 1520.

The Groenplaatz was about a 15 minute walk from my hotel - a walk that I made almost everyday while in Antwerp.  My hotel was very nice but there I didn't find a lot of good restaurants nearby so Groenplatz here I come!  One of my favorite restaurants was the infamous "Estro Armonico's".  Before I left on my trip, everyone from Chiquita who's been to the Antwerp office said I HAD to go to Estros.  It's a little bit of a difficult place to find because you have to go down 2 alley ways and then the door is actually on the floor - it's located in a cellar. You walk down into the cellar where they have limited seating - and you have to watch your head for the low ceiling beams.  They are well-known for their steaks - and if you want exotic, they have Brain on the menu.  They cook your dinner in the same room over the fire place.  It's a very quaint place - and I would definitely recommend the steak!

Cathedral from Groenplaatz

Cathedral by night

Hilton Hotel on Groenplaatz - late 19th century building which is well known in Antwerp.

Chiquita Building in Antwerp.  Just behind the sign you can see the tower of the Cathedral.

Front of Ruben's House (Ruben was a famous painter) leading the Meir (most famous shopping street of Antwerp)

Behind the house is Ruben's Garden.  Inside you find some of Ruben's artwork as well, part of his art collection displayed.

Brabo Legend

According to a legend, a terrible giant, called Druoon Antigoon, lived on the banks of the river Scheldt in ancient times. Whenever sailors on the Scheldt river refused to pay toll to the giant, he punished them by cutting off their hand. A Roman soldier, Silvius Brabo, managed to kill the giant. Brabo cut off the hand of the giant and threw the hand away in the river. Hence, according to the legend, the name of the city : hand ( Engl.: hand) -werpen (Engl.: to throw).

Town Hall (which is one of the oldest Renaissance buildings in the Low Countries) & Brabo fountain.

I will always think of Antwerp as a city of languages.  You always hear about the French and how they won't speak English to you even if they know it... and how sometimes it's hard in another country because you don't know the language. 

In Antwerp, it's mandatory for children to learn at least 3 languages - Flemish, English then either French or German.  Then there are those who know more than just 3 languages... it's almost like the a past-time.  They seem very proud of this fact and will switch to any language that will accommodate without any qualms.